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Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu (How Not to Summon a Demon Lord) Introduction and Story

Nowadays, a season cannot pass without a new isekai anime doing the rounds. Sword Art Online opened the floodgates and the outpour refuses to slow down. This trend has produced many solid shows, but the mere mention of an MMORPG can be enough to deflate anyone's enthusiasm. In most ways, Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu is a standard isekai anime. An otaku with non-existent social skills who spends every waking moment portraying a powerful sorcerer named Diablo in an online game, Sakamoto Takuma suddenly finds himself trapped in a fantasy world due to being summoned by two girls seeking to enslave a demon lord. Stuck in the persona of his overpowered MMORPG character, Diablo accidentally reflects the spell and the girls become his slaves. As they set out to find a way to lift the incantation, Diablo's abilities attract the attention of various other girls and dangerous organizations.

Why You Should Watch Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu (How Not to Summon a Demon Lord)

1. Diabolically Funny

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is not devoid of action or drama, but comedy is definitely given precedent. Taking a page from Overlord's book, the humor tends to revolve around the fact that Takuma is essentially a con artist. Diablo's strength might be real, but the demon lord's domineering personality is merely a front to mask the protagonist's social incompetence. Plainly put, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is hilarious, especially during the first half of the season. Overpowered protagonists can be dull when their armor lacks even the tiniest of kinks, but Takuma's constant panic attacks help humanize the main character. Even though Diablo is the funniest part of the show, the supporting cast is littered with witty and endearing personalities.

2. Unabashedly Ecchi

Whether seen as a positive or a negative, ecchi is an acquired taste. Regardless of personal preference, there is a good and a bad way to incorporate sexual scenes into a story. In comparison to High School DxD or Highschool of the Dead, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is relatively tame and opts against presenting any real nudity. For the most part, the ecchi moments are restricted to an episode's final couple of minutes and compliment the anime's overall tone. On a couple of occasions, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord blends ecchi into the main plot in a style that manages to be both hilarious and oddly effective. There might be more titillating anime out there, but few are quite as memorable as How Not to Summon a Demon Lord.

3. Good Character Writing

Takuma is a great protagonist, but an anime needs more than just a decent main character. Be it the somewhat tsundere Rem or the bubbly Shera, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord's cast consists of principally stereotypical fantasy characters; however, they are handled with enough care to transcend their conventional beginnings. Shera and Rem are never diminished to acting like Diablo's glorified cheerleaders, and their relationship even improves as the story progresses. Likable female girls are a standard of any halfway decent ecchi anime, but How Not to Summon a Demon Lord also boasts a couple of memorable male supporting characters.

Why You Should Skip Isekai Maou to Shoukan Shoujo no Dorei Majutsu (How Not to Summon a Demon Lord)

1. Dull Action

So long as it is striving to induce a belly laugh or excite viewers, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is a bonafide success. Whenever the focus shifts to anything else, the cracks start to show. As the season advances and the overarching storyline begins to take priority over Diablo's misadventures, episodes begin to devote more attention to action and dramatic reveals. The latter are generally fine, but the same cannot be said for the fights. At best, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord's action is short and forgettable; at worst, battles are boring and derail an episode's momentum. Things do slightly improve during the final two episodes, but any previous fights coincide with a low point in the season.

Final Thoughts

Isekai is here to stay, but that might not be such a terrible thing. While hardly the most ambitious series to ever grace the small screen, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord is a highly entertaining anime that adheres to the genre's conventions. For an isekai series about an overpowered otaku stuck in an MMORPG, How Not to Summon a Demon Lord has a great deal of heart and an endearing sense of humor!

Do you agree with our review? Is How Not to Summon a Demon Lord worth watching? Please let us know in the comments below!

Writer

Author: Mark Sammut

Born and raised on a small island in the Mediterranean, my life goal is to experience as many different ways of life as possible. Since time and money are in short supply, anime and film provide the best opportunity to experience far away cultures and worlds. When I'm not watching the latest episode of Gintama, or wondering what series to watch next, you can find me in the corner of the closest coffee shop; writing away on my aging laptop.